Ali4of7: A reintroduction

[Ali4of7]

Hi again everyone,
I joined three years ago (wow, has it really been that long?), lost down to 140, then got laid off from work four months ago and now I'm back up to 200 lbs.
I live with my elderly mother and two teenage daughters who make fun of my "annual diet". My mother keeps the kitchen well stocked in flour, sugar, white bread, wheat bread... everything I don't want to eat, but she's so set in her ways. And she buys in such massive quantities... aaaghhh! I buy the low carb food I need, and they eat that too.
I feel like they fight me every step of the way. They say atkins is stupid, but they don't understand (darn skinny teenagers)... atkins is the only thing that's ever worked for me. I'm very discouraged right now, and really need some friends. And no... I can't move out.
Now I have to go to a big party on Saturday (in two days). There's no way I can get out of it, it's a birthday/benefit for my brother who has cancer. There will be people there from way back... a WHOLE lot of people. People I haven't seen in many years. A guy from high school I had the biggest crush on... I'd give just about anything not to have to go to this party. Why can't they ever have these things when I'm thin? I wish I could crawl in a hole and hide. But I'll go. It's going to be just awful. I have no clue what I'm going to wear.
Anyway, I'm including my original introduction from three yrs ago, I'm going to log in as often as possible. I'll have one of my kids take a picture tonight so I can post a "before" photo. *Sigh* Here we go again. Sorry to be so depressive, that's just how I feel right now.
Ali

(from Dec. 2005)
"Hi everyone,
I'm from West Virginia, been looking around for support. Not much to be found here (at home, I mean). I joined ADBB a few days ago and my bio is kind of depressing. It's been almost three days, and I must say I'm feeling a bit better. I'm so glad I found this board. I've stayed on induction for more than two days now, and according to my scale I'm down 2 lbs. I have a long way to go, but I'm feeling more positive. I'm 5'2" and 190 lbs, my ultimate goal is 120.
I've battled the weight for my whole life, my highest was 239, my lowest was 125. I didn't feel well at 125, but I think that's because I literally starved myself to get there, so I had no muscles. I remember that sitting really hurt then because there was very little padding between my butt bones and the chair, so I stood a lot. It was the only time I ever gained weight on purpose. That was long before I heard of Atkins, though.
I've done Atkins before, it's the only diet I've ever been able to follow properly, so I'm confused as to why I've had so much trouble getting started this time, considering how successful I was before. I'm sure it's at least partly emotional, the past couple of years have been pretty rough on me, much of which I can't even talk about (and believe me, I can talk about a LOT)! But we all have problems, and mine are probably not much worse than anyone elses. I'm not looking for sympathy, that's just how it is.
I know Atkins works, and I know it's safe when done properly. Having gained back all the weight and more, I realize that this has to be a lifetime commitment, not just a temporary diet. I'll be checking in as often as possible... I really need some encouragement!
Thanks for listening...
Ali4of7"

[Chicklady]

Hi Ali Welcome aboard!
Your challenges with your family and this way of eating may be tough, but not impossible. Remember, in the final analysis...YOU are in charge of what goes in your mouth! YOU CAN DO IT!! Make sure to eat before you go to your party. Maybe even bring along some induction friendly dishes with you to share.
Good Luck! Go get 'em!

[Ali4of7]

Thanks so much chicklady, I really appreciate your encouragement. I made it through the party, and actually had a really good time. I think I'd really regret not having gone. I almost backed out at the last moment, but my brother is really, really sick, so I was obligated to be there. And I really want to be there for him. I do try to spend as much time as possible with him on regular days, but the big social functions where there are a lot of people scare the crap out of me.
I'm not such a social phobic when I'm thin, but when my weight is up I don't even want to go outside to get the paper. This is my third time on Atkins, and it's worked both times before. It seems that I'm fine as long as I stay on induction, but as soon as I introduce even a piece of fruit, I'll gain five pounds. I can't eat a single grape without gaining weight.
So now I'm two days back onto induction without cheating, so maybe I'm back on track. Anyway, I'm going to read some of the posts here for inspiration, so... fingers crossed... bye for now...
Ali

[imagood1]

Hi Ali -- we have similar stories....I live with my husband and my mother moved in with us.....THEY eat "real" food (their words not mine) and I eat Atkins "non-real" food. The first few days were horrible because I sat at the table eating my meals while they sat there with french fries, potato chips, candy bars - you name it...anything to try and derail me. I decided they were not going to get the better of me and I have persevered.

My husband is notorious for wanting me to try something on his plate....or he'll put food on my plate for me to taste.....my mother doesn't understand why I can't have "just a little flour" on my chicken or pork chops.....I stay strong! The hubs also wants to go out to dinner at the Mexican restaurant twice a week...."it won't hurt you to have 1 meal and eat some chips & salsa"......

I have now lost 26 pounds and I still sit here eating "my food" while they eat "real food"...you know what - I don't miss bread, candy, rice, whatever they are eating. My tastebuds have changed over the 3 months I've been on Atkins and I must say they have changed for the better! I've also eaten out several times with no problems. This is the first plan I've ever been on where you can eat real food, There are meals I make that we all eat together, and the food is really tasty.

I don't miss the feeling of being stuffed from eating junk ... I have found a wonderful pizza recipe that uses queso cheese as the crust and it's delicious! (thanks to T.J.), I actually like stuffed green peppers (amazing).......

What I'm trying to say is please don't let the people in your house distract you. It's not their health it's yours. You feel Atkins is the best plan for you, then go full force into the plan. Do this for yourself.
You say you have been on Atkins before -- there is a STAC (second time around club) area you might enjoy. There are challenges to join in on -- it helps to keep you accountable to yourself and to your challenge mates.

Drink at least 64oz of water everyday -- that's essential. Get up and move (dance, do yoga, walk - just move). Before you know it you'll be feeling good about yourself. Come to the board a lot to keep inspired and to keep on track. Good luck on your journey.

[EverLosing]

Hey Ali!! Welcome back! There are many people here who can identify with much of what you've said.

I'm so glad you went to the benefit and that you found a way to enjoy yourself while you were there. You were right, you know. If you hadn't gone, you would have regretted it. You pushed through and surprised yourself by enjoying a good time there. The same can be done with your new Atkins journey! It can be better than ever!

Come visit the board as often as you can. You may have to fight for internet time with that many people in the house though! Everyone is just a post away if you need anything. Oh, check out the STAC forum. It's the second time around club....sometimes the third, fourth, fifth, whatever people need us to be!! Here's a link to it. There's a roll call every day that helps keep everyone on track.

Second Time Around Club - Atkins Diet

[milfit77]

Welcome Back! We all deal with some form of temptation out there, just dedicate yourself, and you will be fine. Lots of haters out there(lol), but you know the plan works for you, and thats what matters. I am cheering for you

[CocoMeltdown]

BE ENCOURAGED ALI!!!

First I want to welcome you back to Atkins and congratulate you on moving in the right direction! This is my very first post (i haven't even done an intro yet) but I felt compelled to let you know that you're not in this alone....I can feel you pain through you message and I can relate. The very few people that I've told I'm doing atkins have been AAAALL NEGATIVE!! I'm what they call a habitual dieter (but not anymore!!) This is my 1st time trying atkins. Last year I tried another program and lost 30lbs. I too felt that was the ONLY way I could lose weight and yet I had no motivation to do the program. Then I found atkins and I'm off and running!!

Now for you, this time around, the name of the game is consistancy! Since you've done this before, you already have a leg up because you KNOW it works for you. So the question is....how bad do you want it? The passion and inspiration you had last time came from being sick & tired of being SICK AND TIRED!! Find that place again. Harness that energy and that determination to not only prove your family wrong but to become the best you EVER!! YOU CAN DO IT!! We're all rooting for you!

Most importantly....know that you are ALREADY that wonderfully sexy thin person on the inside. So it's time to show the world who you REALLY are girl! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!! Setbacks are normal...They happen. But you only fail when you stop trying. I'm included a little inspirational message I heard the other day that really helped me. Hope it does the same for you....TTFN

~Coco~


YouTube - Abraham-Hicks on Weight Loss, Worthiness and Law of Attraction

[Ali4of7]

I want to thank everyone soooo much for your support, it's exactly what I need! I'm on day 4 now, and sticking to it. I don't know if I've lost any weight yet, but my keto sticks are turning pink. Still getting a lot of negative comments from the family, but I'm going to keep logging in, and dancing with the headphones on when no one's around. I'm going to go spend some time in the Second Time Around forum.... Have a GREAT day!
Ali

[blueberrylady]

Good for you Ali, for sticking to your guns even with all the negative people around you.

My daughter, who lives out of state and has been visiting me for the past week, loves to cook and the whole time she has been baking pies, making cheesecake, spaghetti pie, mashed potatoes and gravy, and buying all kinds of junk for her 2 teenagers and last night they had ice cream which is something I could never resist before, but I haven't tasted any of the carbage she's been serving. And it isn't even hard to do because I know what those things do to me, and I just don't want them anymore. You will get to that point too, so just hang in there!